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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said his department is reviewing the visa status of people who staged a protest in the reading room of Columbia University’s main library. Rubio referred to protesters as “pro-Hamas thugs” and said they were no longer welcome in the US.
Dozens of protesters were arrested by the New York Police Department at Columbia University. University officials sought assistance from the NYPD on Wednesday night to secure Butler Library due to the large number of people causing disruptions inside and outside the building. A substantial group was attempting to force their way into Butler Library, posing a safety risk, and there was a notable presence of individuals not affiliated with the university, acting university President Claire Shipman stated.
The university had previously reported a “disruption” in reading room 301 of Butler Library, about two days before final exams were set to begin. Protesters entered the room around 3:15 p.m. ET, according to CNN affiliate WABC.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on X around 7 p.m. ET that the “NYPD is entering the campus to remove individuals who are trespassing.”
“At the direct request of Columbia University, the NYPD responded to an ongoing situation on campus where individuals have occupied a library and are trespassing,” an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “Multiple individuals who did not comply with verbal warnings by the NYPD to disperse were taken into custody.”
Protesters stood on tables, beat drums, and displayed pro-Palestinian banners in the reading room of Columbia University’s main library on Wednesday. This protest marked one of the largest campus demonstrations since last year’s student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Videos and photographs on social media showed masked protesters with banners reading “Strike For Gaza” and “Liberated Zone” beneath the chandeliers of the Lawrence A. Wein Reading Room in Butler Library.
U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed last year’s protests were antisemitic and criticised the university for failing to protect Jewish students. Columbia’s board of trustees has been negotiating with the administration, which cancelled hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for scientific research in March.
The university has stated that it is working to combat antisemitism and other forms of prejudice on campus while facing accusations from civil rights groups of allowing the government to undermine free-speech protections in academia.
(with inputs from agencies)
